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Building Conservation Masterclasses

The Building Conservation Masterclass programme (BCMs) provides training in technical and practical skills in the repair and maintenance of historic structures.These intensive short courses, including the Professional Development Diploma, are the result of an ongoing collaboration with Historic England (formerly English Heritage) that began in 1997. All the courses are recognised by Historic England and adhere to its guidelines and standards aimed at improving practice.They have been designed and are delivered by leading practitioners in the field of building conservation.

The courses follow the latest knowledge and developments in technology, craft and science applicable to historic buildings, archaeological sites and monuments and, in particular, the approach set out in the Practical Building Conservation series.

Students will each receive a copy of the Practical Building Conservation relevant to their course, with the exception of those attending Specifying Conservation Works and the Structural Repair of Historic Buildings.

You will receive a certificate recognised by Historic England. To help meet your CPD needs the courses have been approved and recognised by leading institutions such as RIBA, IHBC and CIAT.

The unique ruinette at West Dean on which students can practise conservation and repair techniques is a purpose-built indoor structure exhibiting many of the problems found on historic buildings.

The courses are aimed at those who need to develop practical skills and those who need to understand, specify and supervise these skills. The BCMs are relevant to craftspeople, conservators, conservation officers, architects, surveyors, planners, construction managers, specifiers, specialist contractors and archaeologists.

The Professional Development Diploma can be achieved through the successful completion of ten BCMs and the submission of a final 3,000-word essay. The essay consists of a statement that demonstrates the link between the candidate’s overall experience gained from the BCMs and past, current or intended professional practice as a conservator of historic buildings. Seven of the courses are compulsory and a further three can be selected from any of those remaining (see list). The ten BCMs can be taken in any order but should be completed within a maximum period of five years prior to the submission of the final essay.

Bursaries

The Drake Trust has generously provided a number of bursaries for those attending the Building Conservation Masterclasses. For more information please contact cpd@westdean.org.uk or 01243 818219.